GOSSIP ABOUT THE FEDERAL CONVENTION.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXVIII, Issue 8524, 26 March 1891, Page 6

GOSSIP ABOUT THE FEDERAL CONVENTION.

[FROM OUR SPECIAL COKBESPONDEhT.J Sydney, March 19. Since my last letter the ereat debate in the Federal Convention on Sir Henry Parkea' resolutions has been brought to a conclusion, and the mere practical work of dealing with them seriatim in committee has progressed during the present week in a fairly satisfactory way. It is hoped that the recommendations of the sub-committees will be presented, and the draft of the new constitution agreed to, next week, and the labours of the Convention terminated. Members are already showing a little anxiety to get their work completed before Easter. At one time during the week the tone of the debate assumed a decidedly discordant shape, and the prospects of federation became clouded. Doubts arose in many minds of the successful iss'ue of the Convention in the way of achieving the purpose for which it had met. The placid waters of the assembly were disturbed by the delegates from the smaller i colonies, particularly by those from Western Australia, who had only lately put in an appearance. They received sympathetic support from the South Australian members in their demands, which set them and the representatives of the greater colonies at cross pur?)oses. So serious were these jars that Sir Henry ParKes, in his reply, twitted those delegates with the idea of " South and Western Australia forming a federation of their own. He also stigmatised the demands advanced by one of the Western members as " monstrous.' an expression which that honourable gentleman indignantly resented. Previous to this episode the member just referred to, and who is about the voungest man in the Convention, had occupied a prominent position on the front benches, and made himself conspicuous by the frequency of his interjections when other speakers were addressing the House. Since the president's severe rebuke I now notice he occupies a back seat and is more quiet in his manner. There is much iu common between South and Western Australia arising from their small population, enormous extent of exposed coast lines, small revenues, and want of arterial means of communication with the richer and more populous portions of Australia. Concisely put, their expectations are that, in addition to the equal representation they are to enjoy in the upper chamber, the constitution shall endow the Senate with co-ordinate powers iu respect to " money" bills, to amend or reject them. This has been a very knotty point. The smaller colonies having equal representation with the greater ones only in the Senate, wish to secure power in that body in order, as they claim, to provide .for their own security. The delegates of the larger colonies declare that such a condition might lead to the balance of power devolving on the minority—that is, the smaller States. It would also be repugnant to British custom to take from the people, through their direct elective chamber, the House of Representatives, the sole power of the purse. Experience, no doubt, teaches you that you may with absolute certainty associate the presence of Sir George Grey in any deliberative assembly with some political surprise. The Federal Convention will be no exception to the rule, George had already afforded, in the course of his public addresses here, some indications of his creed in connection with the election of Governors, nominee Upper Housed, and the unearned increment. To a man with the history and experience he possesses, Sir George Grey could not take part in the noble work of creating a constitution for a new nation, or a future Empire, without leaving his impress upon its pages; nor could he allow such an opportunity to escape him for engrafting upon it those liberal views he so stoutly advocates, however unacceptable they may be under existing conditions. He created a surprise yesterday by moving the following resolution :—" The inhabitants of each of the States of Federated Australasia ought to be allowed to choose, and if they see tit from time to time to vary, the form of State Government uuder which they desire to live. Provision should therefore be made in the Federal Constitution which will enable the people of each State to adopt, by the vote of the majority of voters, their own form of State Constitution." You will, of course, perceive what lay behind this; and the mover's real meaning appeared to be understood by the Convention as subsequent action snowed. Sir H. Parkes thought the motion was out of order and outside the latitude of the functions contained in the Convention's commission. Sir George Grey treated this as an attempt to stifle freedom of debate, and declared th.it if he w«e prevented from bringing forward his motion, not only the people of Australasia, but the civilised world would be shocked, and would say that great wrong had been committed. The feeling of the House was in favour of leave being given to move the resolution, and the President withdre% his objection. Sir George afterwards moved the resolution in the following modified form :—"Provision should be made in the Federal Constitution which will enable each State to make, vary, or annul its constitution." He said the decision of the Convention \vo3 a most important one, and that its influence would endure for all time. But he spoke to a rather tnin house, and wandered considerably from the main point. The effect seemed to chill honorable members, and no one rose to speak. The Chairman was about to put the question, wh°.n Sir Samuel W. Griffith took the lloor, and made a short practical speech. A very feeble discussion followed. When the question was put and the voices taken, a division was called for, which would have been the first in the Convention. The bells were rung and the doors locked, but before the Chairman put the question, Sir John Bray's amendment was agreed to, and the division did not take place. Sir John Bray's amendment was : — •' That provision should be made in the Federal Constitution which will enable each State to make such amendments in its Constitution as may be necessary for the purposes of the rederatiou." It will be observed that this entirely akeis the complexion of Sir George Grey's original resolution. He, himself, strongly refused to accept the amendment, but the delegates narrowed it down to this, and would not consent to the resolution in any other shape, and in this form it was passed. Sir Harry Atkinson ha 3 been completely passive during the whole period of the Convention. He and Captain Russell seem to adhere to the iion-committal attitude consistent with the supposed policy of their colony in the cause of Federation. Not so Sir George Grey. He is not the man to be fettered by restricted ideas or localism. Sir George Grey was invited by the Trades and Labour Council to attend one of their meetings the other day. He replied in a short note, excusing himself on the score of indifferent health. I have met a number of leading unionists, and learn on gdod authority that Sir George's refusal has given great offence, and doubts are expressed a3 to the genuineness of his sympathy for the masses. But the labour party here are difficult to please just now. They are in a very dangerous mood. From what I can perceive oi their present temper and state of feelings I should say they are ripe for revolution. There is a deep, angry feeling against the Government and capitalist party for. what they consider the unjust .manner in which the labour unions were treated at the time of the strikes, and the determination of the authorities to preserve order and protect property at any cost. I went to a meeting at the Protestant Hall the other evening, at which Mr. Haynes, a member of Parliament, and at this moment terribly unpopular, was to speak on the single tax. The appearance of the Chairman and Speaker was the signal for a. terrific uproar, caused by a auction in one of the galleries, liardiy a word could be heard above the din, and although the president of the Trades and Labour Council mounted the stage and asked a hearing, and also succeeded in getting a show of hands overwhelmingly in favour of Mr. Haynes being heard, the minority stubbornly refused to submit, and the uproar continued unabated. The majority began to be angry, and a tight seemed imminent. This suppression of the freedom of speech was denounced as cowardly. An American near me said they were not so bad as that in the States; there they would " plug" fellows like those in the , gallery without much hesitation. The gas was turned down, and the crowd made tor the street in confusion, and gathered outside an hotel, from the verandah of which the people were harangued by some labour leaders, who made excited and inflammatory speeches. Yet, not one of them received a fair hearing. The people appear to be split up into sections, suspicious of, and opposed to each other. There is a determination to refuse a hearing to any member of the present House who is suspected of being opposed to Labour at any political meeting that may be held. Moving about in the crowd, I gained an insight into the position of things from their point of view. They are not only organising tor the next elections, but I gathered they are also preparing to use physical force; that arms and ammunition are being obtained. I have seen rowdy meetings often ; but I never saw anything approaching that the other night. Surely the Labour party must see that they are themselves undermining the foundations of their own liberty when they deliberately deny the right of the majority and trample free speech under .foot, which are amongst the most sacred privileges of British freedom. They are divided amongst themselves, and each section tyrannises in this way against each other. Their cause cannot triumph whilst such divisions and disunion exist; but their, opponents, who are united, will calmly overwhelm them.

Let them take warning in time,' here and elsewhere. Here a slumbering volcano exists. The most noticeable incidents last week m connection with the debate in the Federal Convention gn Sir Henry Parkes , resolutions were the arrival of the seven delegates from West Australia, the speech from Sir George Grey, and the able and interesting addresses from Mr. Dibbs, of New South Wales, aud Mr. Gillies, of Victoria. Though the members from the new self-governing colony were late in putting in an appearance at the great Council, they were evidently prepared to make up for lost time, as one or two of them took part in the debate at an early opportunity. The West Australians were very warmly welcomed by the whole Chamber, who heartily endorsed the felicitous terms with which the President (Sir Henry Parkes) introdueed them. When the debate was resumed on the Monday morning, the 9th, Mr. Rutledge, of Queensland, and Sir George Grey both rose at about the same time, but the President gave the JHI.S to Sir' George, who was received with : a hearty round of applause. It could be seen that all the delegates, visitors behind the Speaker's chair, and the occupants of all the galleries, bent their undivided attention to catch every word that fell from his ltpe. Lady Jersey was present, aud listened most attentively during the delivery*! Bfi"Gc6rge's speech. I could see her countenance become set with thought as lie gave utterance to some of his extreme views. Lord Jersey was not present during the debate that morning. Sir George Grey's speech was characterised by much lofty sentiment, extending, perhaps, beyond the regions of immediate practicability with which the Convention is more directly concerned, and to which all the other members seem to be devoting their minds and energy. Sir George did not let the opportunity escape to give an illustration in support of federation token from the abolished provincial form of Government in New Zealand, aud he argued from that example in favour of electing Lieutenant-Governors for the several federated colonies, in like manner as the superintendents of the provinces were elected by the people. He went further than this and brought cat his favourite idea of elected governors, and thought the Governor-General of the future Dominion, as well as other great otlicers of State, should be elected by the people of Australasia. These ideas were received in silence by honourable members, and I am bound to say that the speech has been a disappointing one, not of the practical order the Convention evidently expected to hear from so experienced a statesman. I have heard disappointment expressed outside the Parliament Buildings, and some corroboration of this may be adduced from the fact that the press has made no reference editorially to the speech, nor have the speakers who have followed Sir George taken up his arguments. The tenor of the speech was entirely on the side of federation, with the still greater thought pervading it of a magnificent confederation of all Englishspeaking States; and it was throughout exceedingly interesting, and listened to with close attention and deference.